Part 4: Embrace the change!
Just to warn you, this may be a bumpy ride. You will be faced by a number of asteroids on your journey to the foreign planet of prosperity. Dodge them all. You will make it! First you must pump yourself up with confidence, courage, knowledge and self-reliance. You must not listen to naysayers who might beat you down.
Believe me, when I left the contentment and stability of my ‘pretty good’ job to work for myself, I heard way more people who were against it than pro. The jury was not big in favor of my crazy idea. I was young and full of energy but admittedly, I did not have the best plan. My plan was to succeed and I believed in all my heart that it would happen. Unfortunately, it was a slap in the face for six months to a year. The business took much longer than I anticipated establishing credibility and cash flow, despite the great reputation I had achieved at my job. People trusted me when I had the roof of the big corporation over my head, but when it was just me flying solo, there was hesitancy.
Through much encouragement of friends and family who were not in favor of my entrepreneurial desire, I applied for another job as a newspaper journalist / photographer. It was a decent job in my hometown and I made it all the way to a third interview after being picked through eighty other candidates. It was between me and another person. Something in my gut told me not to give up on myself. As I was sitting there with the interviewer and he was about to offer me the job, I blew it on purpose. I told him that ‘…quite honestly I only want to work here part-time, so as soon as my business takes off then I might not stick around.‘ Of course, that was not the answer he was looking for. I left scared to death by my decision, but it was my gut telling me to do it. My solid belief, unwavering faith and a nagging hunch told me that my business was on the verge of breakthrough. That funny feeling was perfectly accurate. Within a couple of weeks, I landed a huge client that would eventually lead to many more. That was over a decade ago. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
No matter how many people will try to shoot down your dreams, don’t listen! Whether it’s your spouse, best friend, mother or anyone. Hopefully, they will instead be on your side and support you. However, don’t be surprised if that happens. Society has us trained from a very young age that we have to work hard at a job and then retire and buy Ben Gay and watch Jeopardy. Is that where you see yourself in 20 years? 30? Good Lord.
“Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity.
They seem to be more afraid of life than death.”
James F. Bymes
I don’t know about you, but when I’m old I’m going to be sunning myself on some island in Greece, or perhaps kite surfing in Australia. Or maybe I’ll have a cottage by the sea in Nantucket, where my family comes to visit every other weekend and I can eat strawberries every day. For me, Freelancing is not about getting rich (although you certainly can and WILL if you apply it properly), rather it is about a certain LIFESTYLE. It is a lifestyle of freedom from having a cap on the income I am allowed to make. It is about being able to go on a spontaneous trip at the last minute if I have most of my work covered for the weekend. It is about having whatever I want – within reason – and not having to ask my boss for a raise. If I want a raise then I just take on a new client or sell some stuff online. Freelancing is liberating and exciting because each day is different.